Come Hell or High Water
by Shady Phee
Summary: One-shot prequel to Thicker Than Water. Carlisle was abandoned on the brink of death, until he was found by a stranger turned care giver. His savior was the head of something bigger and more dangerous than he could imagine. The Mafia. He'd thought he'd found his calling in life being an underboss for the mob until she came into his life. Rated MA for violence and sexual content.


**A/N: **This is the prequel origin story of Carlisle and Esme from Thicker Than Water. They are in there mid twenties in this story.

It's not very long, but I wanted to give everyone a glimpse of Carlisle's past life.

Just to help the years make since, Jasper and Emmett were born in 1995 and Edward 1996. Carlisle was 16 when Aro found him dying.

The sequel to Thicker Than Water about Stefan called Water Under the Bridge is still in the works. Hopefully, I'll be far enough soon to publish it.

There will be a lot of flash backing. I'll try to make it as cohesive as I can. Present day Carlisle is narrating.

**Disclaimer: ** The author does not own any publicly recognizable entities herein. No copyright infringement is intended.

* * *

___Come hell or high water you will never take me back to the place I was before. I have been through too much to let life whoop me again. My faith is stronger than it's ever been, my mind is more tenacious than it's ever been, my soul is more absolute._

___-TD Jakes_

___Philadelphia, 1998_

"I'm going to pay him back. I swear! I swear!" the man hollered, pleading on his knees.

I watched this man. Feeling nothing really. No pity. No disdain. Just detached. Watching him as if he were a recording instead of a real life person in front of me. I usually didn't have jobs like this anymore, but today I'd messed up. Today, I disappointed Aro. So here I was doing grunt work.

I silently prayed for this man. Prayed that his soul would be spared like I knew mine wouldn't be. Then I killed him painlessly. I walked away, living the lifeless body of the man's name I didn't know in the alley.

Who was Aro? Why was he mad at me? And, most importantly, why did I kill for him. Aro was the Dom of the Association. Philadelphia was his city. I was his second in command. And the reason why I was being punished is a quite simple one. Love. Love for a woman. The most powerful force on earth.

To explain how I ended up in the mafia, we'll have to go a good ways back...

_Philadelphia, 1988_

_ I was drowning, but not in water. I laid on unforgiving pavement as my lungs gurgled for air. A figure stood above me. My eyes couldn't make his features out. _

_ "It will be okay. I'm here now," said a male voice in the most soothing tone. _

Was this an angel? _It had to be. I'd never felt so lost and helpless in my life. Not when I was abandoned by my parents to live on the streets, not when I was beat nearly to death, and not when I was used by men and women for money. _

_ I tried to clear my vision, but darkness took hold too soon, sucking me into blissful unawareness. _

※※※※※

_I woke with a start to have hands clasp my shoulder._

_ "Shh, everything's okay. You're fine, my boy." _

My boy? _I was no one's _boy.

_I took in the man that gave me the pet name. He was older than me by a good ten years at least. "Who are you?" I asked cautiously, looking for a door. _

_ "I am Aro. Ah-ah, don't think about running for you will surely die." _

_ I couldn't hide the horror. _

_ Aro looked at me as a dotting father would a child that said or done something rather foolish. "Do not fear me. I simply wish to help. You haven't completely recovered and the weather is polar outside. You will literally catch your death out there."_

_ I relaxed marginally, still very suspicious of this man. What could he possibly want with me? I really, really hoped it wasn't something sexual. _

_ Aro traced the side of my face with a lone finger and I suppressed a shudder. "Poor thing, such a wild, damaged thing. You will be prefect." _

_Philadelphia, 1992_

It didn't take me long to figure out how I was so 'perfect' for Aro. I was a lost soul. Proverbial clay he could mold to his image. Someone he could use as arsenal. I had to admit, I relished the work. Found purpose in it. I felt strong. Untouchable. I signed my life over to the brotherhood without a second thought, and I didn't regret it until I met _her. _

Esme Platt.

Such a galling, amazing woman.

I saw her only months after my oath.

She took to me like food coloring to Dawn and milk, avoiding me as much as she possibly could. I sat and remembered our first meeting with a smirk plastered on my face.

_Philadelphia, 1993_

She was beautiful in her violet silk gown. I had an endless supply of women, all pretty in her own way, but none compared to Esme. I wanted her instantly and without thought. And I got what I wanted...Usually.

Not with this one.

She was...difficult. Not easily impressed and smart as hell. She knew what kind of man I was without me uttering a single word.

"Don't waste your time." Her crisp, stern voice still rang in my head to this day.

I'd smirked before she'd turned away, heels clicking aggressively as she flounced away.

※※※※※

Our lives probably would've gone in separate directions if I didn't want it to.

I sought her out, pretending that they were chance meetings when they were anything but that. She laughs about it now that our children have grown, but she wasn't happy about it before when I told her months after being together. Not one bit. At that point, she was too in love with me to do anything about it. Which, I'm only slightly ashamed to admit, was exactly how I planned it.

I remembered the first time we made love. She laid on the bed, waiting and willing. Me a total wreck of nerves and anticipation. I'd been with more woman than I cared to fess up to, but Esme was the first I ever felt like this with.

My orgasm had hit me like a professional defensive linebacker, both pleasurable and painful.

Witnessing her escape was the best part of all. She was an unleashed creature of need and passion, arching her back and gripping the sheets tautly. So glorious and beautiful, I couldn't look away even if I wanted to.

She was still as breathtaking as then. We were still as in love as before too. Now we just trusted each other more.

Back to how everything changed.

I was sloppy about my loyalty shift.

I no longer cared about the brotherhood or even Aro as Esme and her life became my sole concern.

She'd become pregnant not even two years after we met. I'd instantly started panicking, building safe holds, escape plans and even panic rooms for my wife and growing son. Doing all this without Esme knowing of course. I told her the bare minimum of what was happening in my "line of work" because she wanted it that way.

Aro was venturing into choppy waters, siding with the Irish, their former allies sworn enemy.

The Association had a long lived partnership with the Italians until the Dom insulated Aro by questioning his strength as a leader.

Things were...dangerous at the moment. People dying left and right while the bosses stayed safe and sound in the palaces.

Luckily, I was smart and had as much friend, if not more than Aro. Without my connections, I would've died long ago, along with Esme's and our unborn child.

Not long after Jasper's birth, we adopted Esme's younger sister's son, only months older than his cousin, she'd abandoned on our doorstep named Emmett. I'd taken him in as if he'd come out of my beloved wife's womb.

Edward came only a year after.

Now I had three boys to worry over. Did I regret my choice to pursue Esme yet? No. Never. Did that make me a bad person? Probably. Now ask me if I care. The answer was the same as the first.

To get to the point, I'll have to skip over how deliriously happy I was with my new family for two years in our little bubble, until we weren't.

Aro grew more and more impatient with me and my lack of interest in all things about him and my "brothers".

Finally, summoning me to him.

I went because I had to. If it would've just be me that got punished for not going, I wouldn't have gone, but my family was an extension of me therefore leverage. Something Aro loved to flaunt in my face many times.

"Carlisle, brother, explain your recent...detachment from your _true _family."

I forced myself not to roll my eyes. It was a rather difficult task. I looked down as if I were remorseful when I was truly thinking up a good lie. "I'm sorry, Aro. I have simply been distracted."

"_That_ is obvious," Aro throw out critically.

I swallowed the aggravation as I looked into his eyes. "With the recent...unstable environment, all I can do is worry over Esme and the children."

Aro nodded, not liking to admit he worried over the boys as well. He might have hated Esme, but he thought of my three children as his nephews. Edward being his favorite for some reason, which I found strange since he most resembled his mother. "And?"

I treaded carefully on the next part. "I would like to...move them."

Aro nodded, very agreeably. "That is a splendid idea. Where to?"

I couldn't stop the shock from showing. "Forks, Washington."

Aro looked confused, as if he never heard the name. "Very well. Forks it is. Good thinking Carlisle, stowing them away so you can focus."

I cleared my throat, readying myself for the inevitable explosion "I want to move with them."

"_You want to move?_"

I nodded, looking at Caius who always had a superior look on his face then Marcus who showed nothing.

Aro's neck grew red as he clutched the armrest of his black velvet throne. "Do you wish to disclaim your oath?" He said it so forcefully, I imagined the words cutting his gums.

I shook my head. "Never. I'm not _that _stupid."

Aro relaxed a margin. "How do you plan to stay underboss at such a distance?"

I shrugged, wishing I had thought out what I was going to say more. "I'll work it out. I could be an agent. Help out with smaller things."

Something came over Aro's expression. Something that chilled me to the bone. Malice was the thing. Plain and simple desire to inflict pain. I couldn't blame him for being upset over losing me. I was an asset. I wasn't being egotistical, I just was. I was more charming than them and was a doctor who could easily mend their wounded. But it was more than that. I might as well have spit in his face with the indignant way he was acting.

Me wanting to move away would only signify something was amiss in his leadership. I knew this all to well and still didn't care. I'd move away with our without his consent. Things would simply be more difficult without it.

Finally after a long time, he nodded. "First, I have a few...assignments for you to insure your loyalty."

Him and his insurance. I nodded, knowing it wouldn't be me picking up a cake for him either or even sweet talking a disgruntled supplier.

That's how I ended up shooting a dozen people for Aro. My boss. A man who was never truly my friend or guardian, but someone who saw me as the powerful instrument I was.

I was able to leave with my family, under the guise that we were safe.

Only years later did I realize how foolish I was to believe the lie. But that's a whole other story.


End file.
